


Step Up

by The_Exile



Category: Star Ocean: The Second Story | Second Evolution
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dragons, Gen, Mild Language, Post-Game(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-13 20:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16479506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Exile/pseuds/The_Exile
Summary: Leon's experiments on the dragons resulted in them breaking free from their fusion with Ashton and also becoming more powerful. Ashton talking them down is the best bet, but they'll all need to co-operate once again.





	Step Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ysavvryl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysavvryl/gifts).



Wings unfurled, crimson and cobalt, leathery skin with sharp spiked tips over powerful sinew, large and strong enough to burst through the ceiling of the thick stone underground test facility. Magical wards crackled but the arcane fire within their very nature flew out and charred away their runes, their restrainting spells fizzling out. 

Darkness. All the myriad stars of a night sky. Freedom at last. After so long spent small, powerless, locked to another, without their wings. 

Below them, the human who had briefly been their host ran around and yelled, flailing his arms rather ridiculously. Through a residual psychic link they could still sense his fear and outrage. Fear of them, anger at the small Fellpool wizard-scientist who screamed back a long technical explanation of how none of this had been his fault, how he had played his part perfectly and everything that had gone wrong was on his side. A very brief instinct to protect their host rippled through their minds, driving them to snap at the infantile cat-eared one, to show him the taste of their flame. Then they remembered that such defensive measures were no longer necessary.

The human had never once thought about them, they reminded themselves. True, the fear and revulsion and pain at something entirely unfamiliar to him suddenly happening to him, something beyond the boundaries of what should happen in a normal ritual exchange between human and dragon, something that resulted in alien, not all benevolent new thoughts in his mind, that caused two large, heavy coiling masses of bone and flesh and scales and leathery hide that weren't under his control to just appear without warning, fused to his spine. 

But it had been the same for them, too, and he hadn't even considered what they had been feeling throughout his ordeal. And he had tried to kill them at least twice for their only one attempt on his life. He'd tried to get rid of them as though they were pests, too - vermin. There were some species who would ritually worship dragons in the hope of such a bond. True, humans and dragons had long been enemies but he could at least respect them as rivals in an equally bad situation.

It didn't matter, anyway. They were free. Shin and XINE were gone, as were their superiors above even them, but there must be some of their original mission they could salvage, or if not, they could start afresh, decide their own plans for this world now that most of their main rivals were gone and they were a lot stronger. 

And stronger they were. They had to give the obnoxious kitten-child his due - whatever he had done to them had made them much stronger, whether or not it had been intentional. That strength, along with the weakening of their bonds with their host that had come with the experiments (that part was probably intentional, they mused - their host had constantly been trying to find ways to part with them, although he at least no longer used methods that he knew would kill them), had been what enabled them to break free.

A rush of exaltation caused fire to erupt from both their maws, a helix of cobalt and crimson in a jet-black, diamond-studded night.

\--------

"So, why are there flames and screaming all over Laceur now?" demanded Celine, arms folded. Leon was desperately trying to put out the most recent blaze using a Noah spell but was causing just as much damage as the fire. 

"It's not my fault," insisted Ashton.

"Yes it is!" snapped the scientist, "I've done everything you asked me to! You said to look for a way to uncouple you from the dragons. It was you who consented to me powering up the dragons so they'd be more useful in battle..."

"You're the genius who should know not to combine the two spells! I warned you that the dragons aren't that friendly when they aren't linked to me!"

"Well, I needed to draw more power from something if I was gonna get this to work at all, and the original spell was already set up, and..." his ears wilted, "i guess I was hoping your influence on them had permanently changed their personality?"

"They're not humans, idiot, it's not like we're their friends!"

"That's not very nice, Ashton," Rena scolded him, "Also, have you two been experimenting on those poor dragons again? No wonder they snap at you!"

"She has a point. Those things are intelligent enough to be protected under Federation law," said Claude.

"What? They were WORKING FOR THE ENEMY!" Ashton cried out, "They're fine, anyway! They've probably never felt better! Leon's done something to make them five times as strong, they're not stuck on my back any more, they can go on all the fiery rampages they want to!"

"Okay, so they're probably relieved to get their own bodies back. I know I would," mused Rena.

"What about me? And did you just say you were imagining YOURSELF fused with me? Just... just stay away from me, you weirdos!" Ashton yelled, drawing his swords, "I'll sort this out myself. It isn't like I didn't half expect this to happen and haven't been looking in dragon slaying manuals while those two were asleep!"

"You stay up to watch them sleeping? Oh, I bet they make such cute little noises!"

"They snort flame in their sleep. I've had to pay for three scorched mattresses. Why do you think I stay up and watch the little buggers?"

"They must have trusted you a lot to fall asleep around you, Ashton," said Celine, "Have you thought that you might be the only person in a position to negotiate with them?"

"It's always best to resolve these things peacefully," agreed Claude, "I mean, they've fought alongside us before, we at least know they have the common sense and morals to consider the Ten Wise Men a serious enemy. We can start with that, right?"

"Try bringing them snacks!" suggested Rena, "I fed them bananas once and they ate them!"

"So it was you with the bananas," he sighed, "Look, dragons with indigestion from eating completely inappropriate food is not a pretty sight. Or smell. And guess who's on the receiving end of most of it? Look, I know I can't get out of it but can I at least have back-up here?"

"I guess this is a bit big a problem for one person alone," mused Celine, "Okay, Leon, you be bait. Celine, you seduce the dragons. I'll get out the bananas..."


End file.
